This month, our Ask a Therapist columnist, Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW, addresses questions related to suicide survivor guilt, when you're suicidal and feeling alone, and when a parent is worried about a troubled kid.
at 800-273-TALK or call 911 immediately.Last month my closest friend killed himself. We saw each other the night before he cut his wrists in his apartment and bled out . He had been depressed for months. I knew he thought of killing himself but whenever I’d confront him about whether I should be worried he’d say, “Don’t worry. I’ll get through it like I always do.” When he said that that last time I said, “Get some sleep. That will help and we’ll talk tomorrow.” There was no tomorrow.
In 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 45,000 Americans killed themselves. Typically, someone who takes his or her life leaves behind approximately six “suicide survivors”—loved ones in shock, grief, and asking themselves questions like, “What if I had said, ‘No, stay here tonight.
Before becoming a therapist I volunteered at a suicide hotline. When someone called in, if I determined he or she was in imminent danger of suicide I was obligated to call 911. More often the threat was not severe enough to warrant that kind of intervention. I’d stay on the phone with the caller and we’d talk…and talk and talk, only hanging up when the person felt better.The only person responsible for your friend’s suicide is your friend.
Being depressed causes you to shrink into yourself, sink into silence. The antidote that can help disperse the shards and shards of pain is to give voice to them. That is why group therapy can be so helpful—there is comfort in knowing you are not alone.Being afraid to kill yourself speaks to an awareness that if you are no longer on the planet, you will be depriving yourself of potentially amazing experiences. You have some hope there is light ahead once you find your way out of the darkness.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Zach Galifianakis Wishes He Didn't Ask Natalie Portman, Barack Obama These 'Ferns' QuestionsYou'll never guess what Jennifer Aniston said to Zach Galifianakis about his Brad Pitt joke (via toofab)
Read more »
Airlines ask Hong Kong to waive airport fees as demand drops: letterScores of airlines wrote jointly to the Hong Kong government earlier this month ...
Read more »
Trump says he did not ask Ukraine to investigate Biden in exchange for aidDonald Trump's call with Ukranian president Zelensky is reportedly the subject of a whistleblower's complaint that has sparked a disclosure fight between government branches.
Read more »